City of Brandon’s Development Services is bringing back the Temporary Sidewalk / On-Street Patio program, which allows food and beverage establishments to set up patios on City property, with no fee payable to the City of Brandon. In addition, the City is prepared to offer the required safety signs for on-street patios at no cost to the applicant. To apply, business owners must produce a site plan, proof of insurance, and a signed declaration, which is included in the application. Compliance with health, liquor and fire regulations will also be required. If alcohol is being served, a barrier / fence surrounding the patio is required. Patios are already permitted on private property, with no fees to the City. For more information, please visit City of Brandon - Temporary Patios On City Property, email planning@brandon.ca, or call 204-729-2110. (City of Brandon PSA)

The Rotary Spring Break Book Sale begins tomorrow, inside the Imperial Ballroom, at the Victoria Inn. The sale features over 75,000 books for sale (cash only) over the 3-day period. Books are priced to clear: regular soft covers are $2, hard covers are $4 and most children’s books are priced at $1 each. Admission is free and customers are asked to bring their own reusable shopping bags. All funds raised from the sale of the books support the Rotary Club of Brandon's Community Projects in Brandon & Westman. Masks and distancing is recommended. Doors open at 9am every day. Thursday, March 31st: 9am-8pm Friday, April 1st: 9am-8pm Saturday, April 2nd: 9am-2pm only   The Fall Book Sale tales place September 8-10, 2022.

Today, Westman Communications Group (WCG) announced that they are investing $1.4 million for significant network infrastructure upgrades. These upgrades enable faster speeds and increased network resiliency while supporting future residential and business growth and higher bandwidth demands of devices and applications. The project has started and is scheduled for completion before the end of 2022. WCG is continuously looking for ways to improve customer experience, as they understand the need for more speed and increased reliability is growing across the region. Their goal is to be proactively ahead of this growth to provide the best Internet and streaming TV experience to their members across all their service offerings. Once the upgrade is complete, WCG will have the opportunity to offer their members speeds up to 1 Gigabit across all their communities. “WCG is proud to offer advanced communication services to over 50 communities across Manitoba,” said Dave Baxter, President and CEO of Westman Communications Group. “The popularity of remote work, video streaming, and online gaming continues to grow. These infrastructure upgrades will ensure WCG members enjoy the high-quality experience they deserve and expect long into the future.” WCG will notify members of any planned service interruptions associated with the infrastructure upgrade; however, their goal is to keep them to a minimum. To easily monitor service interruptions, visit https://support.westmancom.com/service.php. WCG will release updates as the project progresses and upon completion. (submitted)

Darren Darvill has never been scared of a challenge.  On April 1st he will take over the local operations of Fast Fired by Carbone in the Corral Centre. The owner of Resurrection Auto Detailing - Tint & Protection on 1st Street North has taken the leap into the local restaurant business.  Darvill a former cook but has little background in operating a restaurant said he isn't concerned. Jayson McCallum the current mgmt passes the torch to Darvill at the end of the month.  McCallum the owner of East Side Eatery and 4 Food Trucks just didn't have time as his trucks will be very busy as events - weddings and festivals will be full speed ahead this summer. Darvill told BDNMB.CA that the Fast Fired product and brand is incredible and will focus on improving local marketing and social media. Grand Re Opening will be April 20th ( 4 - 20 ).

Fusion Credit Union has been named a Top Manitoba Employer for the third consecutive year. The annual competition recognizes Manitoba employers that lead their industries in offering an exceptional employee experience and work environment. “Since our amalgamation, we have developed a brand that matters, and it’s our extraordinary people behind the brand that makes Fusion such an incredible place to work,” comments Darwin Johns, CEO of Fusion Credit Union. As full-service financial institution with 189 employees, Fusion serves more than 32,000 members through 18 branches across communities in Parkland and southwestern Manitoba. Administering assets of more than 1.34 billion, Fusion has the capacity, the shared commitment, and the opportunity to support growth and prosperity, locally and beyond. “I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished this past year, especially given the uncertain times we were facing,” remarks Johns. “Despite all of the challenges of a pandemic, we were able to experience growth in many areas of our organization.” Providing the ideal employee experience is a model Fusion strives to achieve as an organization. From personalized coaching sessions to professional development to career planning, Fusion provides the tools employees need to develop their skills and further their career. “We gathered feedback from our employees and learned what they need to succeed in their current roles, as well as how we can support them to achieve their future career aspirations,” states Johns. “A sense of fulfillment within their work life is critical to an employee’s success on both a professional and personal level.” Providing meaningful work in an employee’s daily job is important, and that concept extends to volunteerism opportunities as well. At Fusion, staff are encouraged to volunteer at local events and within local organizations. “We want to help nourish these important roles our employees play in their communities, as it leads to both employee growth and community growth, which is something we all benefit from.” During the pandemic many companies had to adjust their employee experience model and Fusion was no exception. Implementing work-from-home strategies and offering additional ‘Covid Days’ off for onsite employees were two ways Fusion supported their team. “We offered the flexibility, the tools, and the resources our employees needed to navigate through the pandemic,” says Leanne DeVliegere, Chief Operations Officer at Fusion. “Even though this model was created out of necessity, we’ve built a robust framework that will last beyond the pandemic.” Fusion is now formalizing their work-from-home policy by providing clear expectations for employees who want to continue working remotely. When designing the model, all aspects of an individual’s life were taken into consideration, not just their role at work. “If working remotely fits into the job role and meets the expectations of our members, we want to provide that choice,” comments DeVliegere. “Offering flexibility and work-home balance leads to happier, healthier employees.” For information about career opportunities with Fusion Credit Union, visit fusioncu.com.